Re-entry to US visa problems
Aug 9th 2003, 8:06 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4
Re-entry to US visa problems
Hello there everybody, i hope you can help me out with some of these problems.
I initially came to the US last year for 3 months for a travelling holiday, visit friends and go to a mates wedding. The time flew by and i thought i would try to get a visa extension because i wanted to do alot more (i didn't know you couldn't get extensions on the visa waiver programme) Anyway i enlisted a lawyer for help and he filed an extension for me before my 3 months were up. Approximately 2 months later a reply came back wanting more information about me and whether i could support myself etc. No problem sent all this away again, waited and waited and waited and waited. Eventually 6 months after the very first application was sent they replied with a denial. Now the lawyer said that whilst waiting for my result i was still technically legal as my case was pending, obviously i am now illegal.
Meanwhile i was offered employment with a company here in the US. I told them my situation and they have applied for my H1b visa with premium processing. Now i am completely in the dark, i obviously have to go home, 1 because i am well over my stay and 2 because my passport is about to expire i don't want to leave until i find out the result of my visa which should be in the next 2 weeks.
Now am i going to get a hard time when i leave the country? I have kept all the letters and documents from my lawyer and the BCIS. Would i be let back in the country even with the visa as my previous stay was over the permitted time?
If the visa is refused would i be able to come back in bearing in mind i had a new passport or would my name be black marked on the immigration computers? I would hate to get to the airport only to be told to go right back home again.
Any help on these matters would be greatly appreciated as right now everytning is up in the air and i'm very confused!
I initially came to the US last year for 3 months for a travelling holiday, visit friends and go to a mates wedding. The time flew by and i thought i would try to get a visa extension because i wanted to do alot more (i didn't know you couldn't get extensions on the visa waiver programme) Anyway i enlisted a lawyer for help and he filed an extension for me before my 3 months were up. Approximately 2 months later a reply came back wanting more information about me and whether i could support myself etc. No problem sent all this away again, waited and waited and waited and waited. Eventually 6 months after the very first application was sent they replied with a denial. Now the lawyer said that whilst waiting for my result i was still technically legal as my case was pending, obviously i am now illegal.
Meanwhile i was offered employment with a company here in the US. I told them my situation and they have applied for my H1b visa with premium processing. Now i am completely in the dark, i obviously have to go home, 1 because i am well over my stay and 2 because my passport is about to expire i don't want to leave until i find out the result of my visa which should be in the next 2 weeks.
Now am i going to get a hard time when i leave the country? I have kept all the letters and documents from my lawyer and the BCIS. Would i be let back in the country even with the visa as my previous stay was over the permitted time?
If the visa is refused would i be able to come back in bearing in mind i had a new passport or would my name be black marked on the immigration computers? I would hate to get to the airport only to be told to go right back home again.
Any help on these matters would be greatly appreciated as right now everytning is up in the air and i'm very confused!
Aug 9th 2003, 9:54 pm
#2
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,439
Re: Re-entry to US visa problems
You'd be better off posting these questions on one of the visa/ immigration boards than here on the "Lifestyle & Culture" board.
